Migratory and Local Birds

The Dark-Eyed Juncos have arrived from Canada! They are here to spend the winter and will stay until about April. The American Goldfinches are losing their bright summer color and will become a grayish-tan during the winter. The oddball bird on the feeder comes up on the Seek app as a Brown-Headed Cowbird. However, I thought these were larger birds. A very common bird we are seeing is the Black-Capped Chickadees. 

All the feeders - seed and suet - are full now. There are 15 feeders in the front- and backyards. It is hard to keep up with the seed feeders with so many birds visiting us each day.

Fall Birds

We are seeing now a combination of migratory and local birds now. This morning, in the backyard alone, I saw a White-Throated Sparrow, Black-Capped Chickadee, Nashville Warbler, Lincoln's Sparrow, and Cardinal. These are only a fraction of the birds we see at our farm. Planting hundreds of native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees at our farm is truly making a difference and drawing a wider diversity of birds here!

Migrating Monarchs

The monarch migration continues. Every day when I look outside at the backyard, there are at least a dozen monarchs I can count. Some may be making their way through our yard and stopping for nourishment along the way. Others may be staying for a while, not sure when their next opportunity to "fuel up" is possible. 

I wish that more people would plant a monarch waystation with a diversity of plants for them to feed upon as they make their long journey south to Mexico. 

Monarchs are Migrating

The monarchs are migrating now and are spending a lot of time on the blazing stars - one of the many native plants we have at the farm. This is the first year that I have noticed so many monarchs in the fall. What also is interesting is that after they eat during the afternoon and early evening, the monarchs are roosting in the trees near the gardens. I have never seen this before. What a joy!!

More Migratory Birds

We continued to see more migratory birds this week - wrens, hummingbirds, and orioles. The colors and songs of the birds are so uplifting.

Migratory Birds are Returning

 It is so nice to see the migratory birds returning to our farm. Hearing them sing brings such joy to me. 

One of the First Signs of Spring